2 . Although it has been 15 years since Katherine Quirk had an infant to feed, she remembers how it felt to struggle to find something you need for your baby.

Watching the news, the nurse manager and mom of three grew increasingly alarmed by the infant baby formula (婴儿奶粉)shortage happening across the United States. She noticed many moms putting out cries for help on the Internet, because they couldn’t find a particular brand of formula their child needs. She knew she had to do something to help.

Katherine has always been a helper. Back in 2021, she and her husband made a group web page to help senior citizens get appointments for their COVID-19 vaccine. She has seen firsthand how powerful social media can be to unite people towards a common goal, so she started a new web page for parents seeking baby formula.

The South Florida Baby Formula Info Group is a resource for parents to share pictures of the formula supply at local stores, swap and sell extra formula, and help each other get through the formula shortage. Katherine solved the discussions on the group to help parents find much needed formula.

The group now has over 900 members, all of whom are working in the Palm Beach, Florida area to support one another and keep their babies fed. “The overall vibe (氛围) is very positive,” Katherine said. “Moms help other moms. Caregivers lend a hand and offer up unused formula to a mom who has a need. Exchanges happen between parents if perhaps a sample was received that is not needed.”

Katherine displays true leadership qualities! She urges other people to start groups of their own if they see a need in their community. She acknowledges that it does take “time and effort” to run a social media web page, but says, “If it helps even one person then it’s worth it.”

1. What caught Katherine Quirk’s great concern recently?

A．Parents’ struggle to feed more babies.	B．The national shortage of baby formula.
C．Some families’ increasing cost of living.	D．The unqualified baby formula in America.

2. What did Katherine learn from her previous web page?

A．The suffering of senior citizens.	B．The importance of setting a goal.
C．The significance of social media.	D．The difference good actions made.

3. What did Katherine think of the members of Baby Formula Info Group?

A．Strict and responsible.	B．Friendly but stubborn.
C．Considerate and helpful.	D．Ambitious and generous.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Moms helping moms	B．A mom showing leadership
C．A web page for babies	D．Parents seeking baby formula

3 . Some of the most well-known bicycle friendly cities in the world are the ones going car-free like Copenhagen and Amsterdam but a lesser known city, Utrecht, the fourth largest city in the Netherlands, seems to be winning the competition hands down.

Today, with an average daily number of bike tips standing at 125,00 the city is doing something very right. A new short film by Streetfilms shows how this city of 360,000 — with 22.5 billion bicycles — transformed itself into a cyclist’s paradise.

Utrecht is made up of a historic city center, and bike paths and roads weave through the downtown making it really easy to commute to work or school without ever using a car. That’s because the city built specialized roads and bike parking facilities to give bicycle riders the upper hand over cars. According to CityLab, cars make up only 15 percent of the trips into the downtown area. Sixty percent are done by cyclists.

But the city wasn’t always this bicycle friendly. In the 1950s and 60s, cities in the Netherlands were as cities in the rest of Europe and the US. In the 1970s, in response to a rise in the number of pedestrians getting killed in traffic accidents, people started protesting against the use of the streets being priortized for cars. And the high cost of gasoline and the environmental movement added to conditions for change.

The transition didn’t come cheap. According to the New York Times, the city spends over €49 million annually to build, improve and maintain the bike-based transportation network which the city plans on doubling by 2030.

There are complaints by car owners that they are being discriminated against. “These are just growing pains.” Lott van Hooijdonk, the city’s mayor, said in the film, “The advantages of the changes far outnumber the disadvantages and include reduced air pollution, lower healthcare costs and a host of other social benefits. In Utrecht, two wheels are so much better than four.”

1. What has happened to Utrecht according to the text?

A．It has become a bicycle friendly city.	B．It has turned into a city on the vehicle.
C．It has won the competition of cycling.	D．It has been developed into a car-free city.

2. What’s your first impression of traffic when you travel in Utrecht?

A．Most trips can be covered by bike.

B．It’s hard to park cars in the city center.

C．There is never any traffic jam on the roads.

D．Bike-sharing is common in the city Utrecht.

3. What was the key to changing Utrecht from automobiles to bicycles?

A．The high cost of fossil fuels.	B．The rising deaths from vehicles.
C．The poor transportation system.	D．The complaints from car owners.

4. How did the city’s mayor make his point?

A．By protesting.	B．By persuading.
C．By giving an example.	D．By making suggestions.

4 . 英语课上，你们班准备就“分数与能力”进行一次讨论。请发表你的看法，内容包括：
1.简要评论现状； 2.你的观点及建议。
注意:1.词数100左右；             
2.题目已为你写好。       

Score and Ability

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . Diversity has always been a topic that arouses a wide range of reactions, from real enthusiasm (usually among the underrepresented) to eye-rolling or complete unfriendliness. However, over the following few years, not only did the representation of women on FTSE-100(富时100指数) boards more than double but the mindset shifted in the UK. This was no longer a special interest issue but everyone’s issue.

But we’re now at crossroads. The gender issue in particular is a well-worn subject but not yet one we have mastered. Yes, there are more female world leaders and company directors, but many women tell me they feel discouraged about their prospects. They can’t see the link between their own reality and gender equality efforts that often seem targeted at a narrow group of white, privileged and highly educated women, rather than at all women.

I am optimistic that the next breakthrough is within reach. Technology has changed how we work, communicate and influence. Command & control power structures are rapidly breaking down, and emerging instead is a more inclusive notion of power. Leaders today need to be able to connect. This is good news for people who are empathetic, who are collaborative-qualities that are often described as feminine, although obviously men can exhibit them too.

Women of my generation who’ve made it to senior roles had to fit in with past practices to succeed. Today, we have an unprecedented opportunity to reinvent the rules, to create new ways of working, living and bringing up families. We no longer need to give in: instead, we can change the system.

But a new danger comes. The diversity agenda has gone off track and we need to remind ourselves of the basics again. Diversity is about being different, and inclusion is about welcoming those differences. Somehow that has become confused with the opposite notion, that valuing people as equals means preventing our differences.

1. What is people’s attitude towards diversity?

A．Indifferent.

B．Supportive.

C．Negative.

D．Divided.

2. Why do many women feel disappointed about their future?

A．Because they can not enjoy gender equality.

B．Because the gender issue is a well-worn subject.

C．Because they have not mastered the gender issue.

D．Because there are more female company directors.

3. What can we infer from paragraphs 3&4?

A．Ability to connect with others is crucial to leaders.

B．Women of my generations needn’t adapt to past practices.

C．Women instead of men are more empathetic and collaborative.

D．Command & control power structures are replacing inclusive ones.

4. What is the potential risk of gender equality?

A．Welcoming differences.	B．Lacking diversity.
C．Including unfairness.	D．Causing unfriendliness.

6 . After growing up in the foster (寄养) care system, Shanté Elliott is working to help others transition(过渡，转变) out of it. Elliott is no stranger to the foster care system. She was forced to change schools and adapt to different homes over and over again before finally being adopted at the age of 13. Elliott became the first member of her family to graduate college, double majoring in literature and communication and earning a master’s in education policy. Today she is pursuing her doctoral degree.

Elliott knows the challenges facing teenagers within the foster care system. “Often, teenagers are not viewed as children but as adults,” she recently told Reader’s Digest. “Think about it—most families looking to adopt want to adopt an infant or a young child, so they can experience developmental milestones with the child.”

There are ways to help foster children without becoming a foster parent, but finding permanency is still what most foster youth need most. And for those who age out of the system without finding those forever homes, there are additional challenges to face. According to Youth.gov, these kids are at greater risk of homelessness, health problems, dropping out of school and legal issues, all of which can make succeeding in adulthood more difficult.

Elliott wants to see that stigma end. “We need to change the national dialogue around this in a way that highlights the needs of older children. All foster-involved children want consistent homes. Potential families need to realize this.”

It’s a reality Elliott is passionate about helping others realize. “The need for protection, love, opportunity, and safety has no age limit. If more teenagers were adopted, youth would have more successful long-term outcomes after foster care.” That’s something these older foster kids who found their forever homes can prove.

1. How was Elliott’s early adoptive life?

A．Difficult.

B．Busy.

C．Strange.

D．Successful.

2. Why do foster families prefer infants or young children to teenagers?

A．Because teenagers are too old to be fostered.

B．Because infants lack personal experience and education.

C．Because parents can become part of the children’s growth process.

D．Because they want to foster children without becoming foster parents.

3. What is paragraph 3 mainly talking about?

A．Homeless children will drop out of school.

B．People don’t want to become foster parents.

C．There are some ways to help foster children.

D．Children without forever homes may suffer in the future.

4. What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?

A．Few teenagers want to find forever foster homes.

B．It’s easy for teenagers to find forever foster homes.

C．Teenagers are supposed to be offered permanent homes.

D．Only teenagers need protection, love, opportunity and safety.

7 . When Christopher Moore isn’t jumping rope, shooting baskets or playing the board game Chutes and Ladders, the 8-year-old can often be found at home using his fighting skills, protecting the world from would-be enemies. “I’m trying to save the other people from being hurt,” he said of his Avatar video game adventures.

The Moore household, in Birmingham, Alabama, enjoys a good mix of at-home entertainment, something they are doing more and more during these precarious financial times, “They’re always in competition,” the boys’ mother, Lisa Moore, said with a laugh. “It keeps them busy. It keeps them occupied.”

Numbers show that at-home entertainment is doing better than ever, flying in the financial face of so many industries that are struggling in this difficult time.

The gaming experience, too, has changed with the years. Five years ago, online gaming was considered a one-person activity. And although games can still be played alone, the social factor is growing quickly. “Over a third of families will play games together online.” said David Williams, who heads up the Kids and Family Games Group. “They’re staying home more, and they’re using games to connect with one another.”

When it comes to the games children play, many parents such as Lisa Moore may choose to sit it out. But Christina Vercelletto, a senior editor at Parenting magazine, says that engaging in the games with them can do a family good. “It can be an opportunity to bond with your kids,” she said. If parents express interest, kids “will probably be heated. And you’ll get a little window into what has them so excited.” Plus, by playing the games, parents can determine how comfortable they are with what their kids are doing.

For those who want to get the opinions of others, Christina Vercelletto points out that the Entertainment Software Rating Board provides feedback and that parents are always learning from one another on discussion boards.

1. What does the underlined word “precarious” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Appropriate.

B．Precious.

C．Stable.

D．Tough.

2. Which of the following shows the benefit of at-home entertainment?

A．Controlling children’s behavior.	B．Helping solve financial trouble.
C．Making a good family relationship.	D．Forming a sense of independence.

3. What should parents do while their kids are playing games according to Christina?

A．Join in.

B．Sit out.

C．Watch out.

D．Walk around.

4. What is the main topic of the text?

A．Family relationship.	B．At-home entertainment.
C．Benefits of playing games.	D．Ways to connect with kids.

8 . Since the early to mid-2010s, social media apps have made a permanent home in many people’s phones, and spending time on social media has become as much of a daily activity as drinking water. Since so many people are on it for much of their days — especially kids, teens, and young adults — there is increased concern over what social media is doing to people.

Many argue that social media is an unhealthy way to pass the time, and that false information from online is causing confusion and panic. This type of thing happens with every generation when something new that people don’t understand comes along. So many people thought rock-and-roll was making teens morally bad, which really wasn’t the case. It is fair to say that the teenage years are hard, and that teens need an escape. Back before phones, teens would listen to rock music as a form of escapism, or they would watch TV, go to the movies, skate around, or dress up in crazy clothes. Unfortunately, all of those things at one point in time were blamed for being a bad influence on young people. Social media is the new tuck-and-roll: it’s a new thing, and people demonize (妖魔化) change.

For example, many believe that everything on social media apps is filtered (加滤镜) and that seeing perfect people and their perfectly edited lives often leads to lots of negative emotions. However, models, magazines and movies have been using retouching (修整) tools for photos and media since Photoshop and other post-production services were invented. Social media has made it easier to see more edited pictures, but social media itself isn’t making people want to look a certain way. People should acknowledge that these pictures aren’t authentic, and the posts are made to look good on purpose. Social media is hot to blame for body confidence issues when the things people want to look like aren’t even real in the first place.

It seems like most issues around social media are user errors, like anyone complaining there are too many people being addicted to social media. However, not everyone is addicted to social media; people who have any grasp on reality wouldn’t spend every waking second on the phone. It is really up to the individual how they use social media. Keeping up with the flood of posts, stories, and photos takes a lot of time — many young people admit that they spend hours on their phones every day. Yet, this seems like an easy problem to solve when the solution is simply clicking off the phone a couple hours early. So it is clear that moderation is the key to dealing with all the issues around social media.

1. Why does the author mention “rock-and-roll” in Paragraph 2?

A．To predict the future of social media.

B．To underline the advantages of social media.

C．To analyze why social media is so popular today.

D．To explain why social media is regarded as negative.

2. What does the author think of posting edited photos on social media apps?

A．Disturbing.

B．Understandable.

C．Intolerable.

D．Innovative.

3. What does the text suggest people do about social media?

A．Make the best use of it.

B．Completely stay away from it.

C．Prohibit young people from using it.

D．Spend reasonable amounts of time on it.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．What makes us so addicted to social media?

B．Why is social media so popular among teenagers?

C．Should we depend on social media for information?

D．Is it right to blame social media for all the problems?

9 . Semiconductors or chips are essential components in things we use every day. They’re made from the material that gave Silicon Valley its name. And they handle everything from artificial intelligence processing to simple functions like translating the press of a button into an electronic signal. Think of them as the brain of a device. So, what has happened recently？

When the pandemic shut down car factories in March, automakers made a prognosis that there would be fewer orders for passenger vehicles, so in turn cut down their orders for chips. At the same time, working from home and 5G drove demand for laptops, smartphones, cloud services and data centers. So those industries increased their orders for chips. That caused chip makers to switch production to those areas rather than pile up chips they couldn’t sell. But what both car and computer companies didn’t expect was a quick rebound(反弹)in demand for their products.

So here lies the problem. There’s now not enough supply to meet demand and building chip factories takes years and costs bilions of dollars. How bad could it get? Chip shortages are expected to wipe out 61 billion dollars of sales for automakers alone. And big chip makers like Qualcomm, NXP and Infineon say the auto industry isn’t the only sector to get hurt. Games console makers say things will get worse before they get better, potentially impacting holiday sales.

President Biden has signed an executive order to look into why the US is so dependent on overseas chip manufacturers, like Taiwan’s TSMC and South Korea’s Samsung. So how long before supply meets up with demand? Well, it’s a guessing game. But some analysts say we won’t see signs of a turnaround until the second half of the year.

1. What is one of the functions of semiconductors according to the text?

A．Processing human’s brain signal.

B．Making up important things in life.

C．Translating pressure into an electronic signal.

D．Switching the production of a certain industry.

2. What does the word “prognosis” underlined in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Adjustment.

B．Assessment.

C．Principle.

D．Predication.

3. What will be the probable content for the following paragraph?

A．Details of the president’s order.

B．Tips on how to face chip shortage.

C．Suggestions on playing a guessing game.

D．Reasons why the US depends on overseas chip.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The Global Chip Shortage

B．The Origin of Semiconductors

C．The Influence of Chip Shortage

D．The Famous Semiconductors Manufactures

10 . From toilet paper to yogurt, and coffee to corn chips, manufacturers are quietly shrinking package sizes without lowering prices. It’s called “shrinkflation(缩水式通胀)”, and it’s accelerating worldwide. In the U. S., a small box of Kleenex now has 60 tissues; a few months ago, it had 65. In India, a bar of Vim dish soap has shrunk from 155 grams to 135 grams.

Shrinkflation isn’t new, experts say. But it multiplies in times of high inflation(通货膨胀) as companies struggle with rising costs for ingredients, packaging, labor, and transportation. Global consumer price inflation was up an estimated 7% in May, a pace that will likely continue through September, according to S&P Global.

“It comes in waves. We happen to be in a tidal wave now because of inflation,” said Edgar Dworsky, a consumer advocate and former assistant attorney general in Massachusetts who has documented shrinkflation on his Consumer World website for decades.

Mr. Dworsky said shrinkflation appeals to manufacturers because they know customers will notice price increases but won’t keep track of net weights or small details, like the number of sheets on a roll of toilet paper. Companies can also employ tricks to draw attention away from downsizing, like marking smaller packages with bright new labels that draw shoppers’ eyes.

Some customers who have noticed the downsizing are sharing examples on social media. Others say shrinkflation is causing them to change their shopping habits. Alex Aspacher does a lot of grocery shopping for his family. He noticed when the one-pound package of sliced Swiss cheese he used to buy shrank to 12 ounces but kept its $9.99 price tag. Now, he hunts for deals or buys a block of cheese and slices it himself. “I was prepared for the change to a degree, but there hasn’t been a limit to it so far,” Mr. Aspacher said. “I hope we find that ceiling pretty soon.”

Sometimes the trend can reverse. As inflation eases, competition might force manufacturers to lower their prices or reintroduce larger packages. But Mr. Dworsky says once a product has gotten smaller, it often stays that way.

1. According to the passage, what can we learn about shrinkflation?

A．It attracts customers by adjusting the prices.

B．It newly emerges in the period of high inflation.

C．It saves manufacturing cost by reducing package sizes.

D．It is a good way for manufacturers to expand their business.

2. The example of Alex Aspacher is mentioned to ________.

A．show customers’ support for shrinkflation.

B．share customers’ current shopping experiences.

C．explain the inconvenience shrinkflation has brought.

D．illustrate the impact of shrinkflation on buying habits.

3. What does the underlined word “reverse” mean?

A．Change to the opposite	B．Spread like wildfire
C．Become unpredictable	D．Come to a stop